Revelation 14:1-20

From Now to the End of Time

Revelation

Ian Mackervoy

Chapter 14

The *Lamb on the hill called Zion - Revelation 14:1-5

v1 Then I looked, and there was the *Lamb. He was standing on the hill called Zion. With him were 144 000 people. These all had, on the front of their heads, the name of the *Lamb and of his Father. v2 And I heard a sound that came from heaven. It was like the sound of many waters or of loud *thunder. The sound that I heard was the sound of *harps. It was like the sound when musicians play *harps. v3 And they sang a new song in front of the *throne. And they were in front of the four *creatures, and the *elders. Only the 144 000 people whom God had rescued from the earth could learn the song. v4 They are men who have never slept with women. These men never had sex. They followed the *Lamb wherever he went. The *Lord purchased them from among the people on the earth. These men belonged to God and to the *Lamb. They were like the first part of the harvest, which people gave to God. v5 They did not tell lies and they were without fault.

Verse 1 Then John saw the *Lamb standing on the hill called Zion. The 144 000 *Jews were with the *Lamb. These all believed in Jesus their *Messiah. They were from all the 12 *tribes of the *Jews.

These *Jews had the mark of God on them (Revelation 7:4). That mark was the name of the *Lamb and of the Father. Since they had received the mark, the *Lord had protected them. Not one of them had been lost.

The hill called Zion was the hill where the city called Jerusalem stood. But here the hill called Zion is not the one on the earth. It is the place of the city of God in heaven.

Verses 2-3 John heard a wonderful sound, which came out of heaven. It was loud, like the sound of a great river or of *thunder. But it was sweet music, like the sound of *harps. He heard a new song. The singers were there in front of the *throne. They were in front of the four *creatures and the *elders.

John does not say who the singers were. But it seems that they were the 144 000. God had rescued them from the earth. They sing a new song that only they can learn.

Verse 4 The *Lord had selected these men for a task (Revelation 7:3). They would serve God on earth during the final years before Christ returns. In order to concentrate on that service they did not have sex.

They did what the *Lamb said. They obeyed him and they were loyal to him. They were his agents on the earth. They believed in Christ and they belonged to God and the *Lamb.

They gave themselves to God. From their work, many more came to know the *Lord. The 144 000 were like the first ones of that number.

Verse 5 During all the troubles of those times, they always spoke the truth. They lived good lives. Nobody could blame them for anything that was wrong.

Messages from three *angels - Revelation 14:6-13

v6 Then I saw another *angel. He was flying high in the sky. He had good news to tell. This good news was true for all time. It was a message to all the peoples of the earth, to every *tribe, language, and nation. v7 He said in a loud voice, ‘You must respect God. Tell him how great he is. The time has come when he as the judge will test all people. *Worship him because he created all things. He made the heavens and the earth, the seas and the sources of water.’

v8 A second *angel came after the first one. He said, ‘The great city called Babylon has fallen. That city is completely *ruined. Babylon is like a woman who was guilty of *sins of sex. She caused all the nations to *sin in a similar way. It was as if she made them drink too much wine. This wine means the emotions that caused Babylon to *sin.’

v9 Then after the first two *angels, a third *angel came. He spoke with a loud voice. ‘I speak to those who *worship the *beast and his image. They receive the mark of the *beast on the front of their heads or on their hands. v10 Such people will suffer because God is angry with them. It will be as if he has prepared strong wine. And he will force them to drink it because of his anger. They will suffer pain as in a fire that burns with *sulphur. As they suffer, the holy *angels and the *Lamb will see them there. v11 Their terrible pain will be like a fire that never ends. The smoke that rises from that fire will never stop. For those who *worship the *beast and its image, there is no relief day or night. There is no relief for those who accept the mark of the *beast.’ v12 This means that God’s people must be patient. They must obey God’s commands and they must have *faith in Jesus.

v13 Then I heard a voice from heaven. It said, ‘Write this. From now on, the *Lord will *bless those who die for him.’ ‘Yes’, said the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their hard work. They will receive the reward for their good deeds.’

Verse 6 John saw the first of three *angels. The angel was flying in the sky above the earth. The *angel came to tell people about the plans of God. God said that his people should have *eternal life. This is good news to all who believe God’s words. And they will serve God. The *angel made certain that all the peoples of the earth heard him. Every person had the opportunity to hear the good news.

The *angel called all people to *repent while there was time. This was their last chance. Soon it would be too late.

Verse 7 This is the message that the *angel brought. All people must be afraid of God and everyone must give him honour. They must respect him as the *Lord of all. They must know that he is the God of all power.

The people were surprised at the power of the *beast. But God is so much more powerful than the *beast. And God will be the judge of each person. The time had almost come when he would do this. Those who oppose God cannot expect a happy future.

God made the heavens and the earth. He made the seas and the rivers. God made the whole world, and it belongs to him. So, all people ought to *worship him. They should turn to God and they should serve him alone.

Verse 8 Then the second *angel declared that Babylon had fallen. Babylon was a great city in the ancient region called Mesopotamia. It had been the capital of the *kingdom called Babylon. It was an evil place of luxury and *sin. Worse than that, it was the great enemy of God’s people.

The name Babylon here means the centre (most important place) of all on earth that opposed the real God. It was the centre of all false beliefs. It was the centre of the world’s religion and commerce.

God destroyed the city called Babylon, because it was the centre of such evil practices. But all the nations of the world had become like Babylon. So, all the nations will suffer the same fate as Babylon. God is angry with them and he will destroy them.

Verses 9-10 Then a third *angel came. And he spoke to those who had the mark of the *beast.

The *beast would try to kill those who had not received his mark. But those who had received the mark of the *beast would have a worse fate. They will suffer the anger of God. He will punish them with pains that will never end. When God punished the cities called Sodom and Gomorrah, he burned them with *sulphur (Genesis 19:28). The pains of those who have the mark of the *beast will be like that. This will be the fate of those who denied Christ.

The fire and *sulphur is a description of the place of punishment. God will send the *Antichrist and the false *prophet there. All who follow the *beast (*Antichrist) will go there as well.

The *Lamb and his *angels will see them suffer.

Verse 11 For those who refuse the love of God their punishment will never end. They chose evil ways rather than good ways. They will receive evil things and not good rewards. Their end is to be without God. That place is hell where the fire never stops (Mark 9:44).

Verse 12 God’s people may suffer much here on earth. But the terrible pain of those who do not believe will be far worse. God’s people must be patient and they must trust God. It would be foolish to lose their confidence in the *Lord. Their troubles would soon be over and they will live with God.

Verse 13 Death is not the end. All who believe in God will rise again from death. God will raise them up to live in a place of rest and happiness. The Holy Spirit agrees that this is so. This is true about all God’s people. But verse 13 is mainly about people who die because of their *faith in Jesus. God will make sure that they receive their reward. Their lives on this earth were hard. But God has prepared a place where they will be content.

Harvest of the earth - Revelation 14:14-20

v14 Then I looked, and I saw a white cloud. A person who was like a son of man sat on the cloud. He wore a gold crown on his head. In his hand, he held a sharp tool that he would use to gather the harvest. v15 Then another *angel came out of the *temple in heaven. He called in a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, ‘Start to cut with your sharp tool. The time to gather the harvest has come. The harvest of the earth is ripe.’ v16 So, he who sat upon the cloud swung his sharp tool over the earth. He gathered the harvest of the earth.

v17 Then another *angel came out of the *temple, which is in heaven. He also had a sharp tool for the harvest. v18 Then a different *angel, the one who has power over fire, came from the *altar. He called with a loud voice to the *angel with the sharp tool. ‘Use your sharp tool. Gather the *grapes from the bushes on the earth because the *grapes are ripe.’ v19 The *angel swung his sharp tool over the earth and gathered its *grapes. He threw them into the place where God squeezed them in his great anger. v20 This place was outside the city. Blood flowed from the *grapes. The blood was about 5 feet (1.5 metres) deep and it flowed for about 200 miles (320 kilometres).

Verse 14 After the three *angels had gone, John saw a white cloud. A person sat on the cloud. He was like a son of man. The phrase ‘like a son of man’ means that this was Christ (Revelation 1:13; Daniel 7:13).

Christ wore a gold crown on his head. This showed that he had overcome his enemies. He had the power to do what he came to do. Like someone who harvests crops, he had a sharp tool in his hand. This means that Christ will be the judge of all people.

Verses 15-16 An *angel came out from the *temple in heaven. God sent him with a message to the Son of Man. The *angel said with a loud voice, ‘The time has come. The harvest of the earth is ripe and ready. Go and gather it.’

This message meant that the time of the end had come. The *Lord would rescue his own people. But he would punish the rest of the people.

The evil deeds of the people on the earth could not grow worse. The *Lord had to deal with it. So, Christ gathered the wicked people as someone harvests a crop. The account of this event is in Chapter s 19 to 20.

Verses 17-18 God sent two more *angels. They came from the *temple and the *altar. The first one had a sharp tool for the harvest. The other one had command over the fire.

Fire destroys what remains after the harvest. God sent the *angels to punish the people on the earth.

The *angel of fire shouted to the other *angel. He told him to use his sharp tool. The *grapes were ripe. They were ready for harvest.

The *grapes meant the evil people whom the *Lord would punish. They had refused Christ and they followed *Antichrist.

Verses 19-20 When people make wine, they put the ripe *grapes in large buckets. Then they step on the *grapes until all the juice comes out. They use the juice to make the wine that they drink.

The *angel with his sharp tool harvested the *grapes of the whole earth. He threw them into a large bucket. Then God squeezed the *grapes as men step on natural *grapes. But these *grapes meant the people with whom God was angry. So, in fact, John was describing the deaths of these people. This is why John saw blood flow from the *grapes instead of juice.

This was an awful thing. John tried to show us how terrible it was. A deep river of blood flowed from the people. It was about five feet deep and flowed for 200 miles. God was very angry. He punished and he killed all those wicked people.

It was outside the city where Jesus died. God punished this vast crowd of people outside the city. That city was Jerusalem.

lamb ~ a young sheep.
Lamb ~ a name for Jesus because he died as a sacrifice for our sin. He is the Lamb of God.
sacrifice ~ the priests killed a special animal and they burned it on an altar. This was to ask God to forgive sins. Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
altar ~ the special table where priests burned animals and other gifts that they offered to God.
forgive ~ to forgive is to remove sin.
thunder ~ the sound that comes after lightning during a storm.
harp ~ an instrument of music.
throne ~ the special chair for the king or for an important person.
creatures ~ Things that are alive. In the Book of Revelation, there are 4 special angels in heaven called creatures.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
elders ~ usually they are older men. In the Book of Revelation, they are the 24 people who sit on thrones in heaven.
throne ~ the special chair for the king or for an important person.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things.
lord ~ a title for someone who rules.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Messiah ~ God promised the Jews that a special person would come to save them. That person is the Messiah. Jesus is that Messiah but the Jews did not believe it. Messiah is a Hebrew word. In the Greek language, the word is Christ. The word in both languages means anointed (that is, God chose him and sent him).
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
Hebrew ~ the language of the Jews and of the Old Testament.
Greek ~ the original language of the New Testament.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Jesus’ birth.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus on earth.
tribe ~ a large family from one man. The nation called Israel grew from the 12 sons of Jacob. These 12 families became the 12 tribes of Israel.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
angel ~ a servant of God from heaven. God made angels to serve him and to take his messages. So, angels are God’s servants from heaven. But there are evil angels who opposed God. These evil angels now serve the devil.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to an idol). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
idols ~ objects that people worship instead of God.
ruined ~ a description of a city when its enemies have completely destroyed it.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to an idol). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
idols ~ objects that people worship instead of God.
beast ~ an animal. In this Book of Revelation, the beasts describe Satan, Antichrist and the false prophet.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
Antichrist ~ a powerful ruler who imitates and opposes Christ. The Book of Revelation also describes the Antichrist as ‘the beast’. The Antichrist hates Christ. The Bible also refers to many antichrists. These are people who hate Christ like the Antichrist.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation also describes a false prophet. This false prophet speaks on behalf of the Antichrist and Satan.
sulphur ~ sulphur is a chemical. A fire that burns with sulphur is extremely hot. And sulphur burns with an awful smell.
faith ~ trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son.
bless ~ to do good things for a person.'eternal life ~ life of a new quality for those who believe in Jesus. This new life is to be with Jesus always.
repent ~ to change one’s mind and heart. To turn away from sin and turn to God. To turn one’s mind and heart away from sin is to repent.
sin ~ sin is the wrong things that we do. To sin is to do wrong, bad or evil deeds and not to obey God. Those who sin are called sinners.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules.
Antichrist ~ a powerful ruler who imitates and opposes Christ. The Book of Revelation also describes the Antichrist as ‘the beast’. The Antichrist hates Christ. The Bible also refers to many antichrists. These are people who hate Christ like the Antichrist.
beast ~ an animal. In this Book of Revelation, the beasts describe Satan, Antichrist and the false prophet.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation also describes a false prophet. This false prophet speaks on behalf of the Antichrist and Satan.
prophet ~ person who speaks for God. A prophet can sometimes say what will happen in the future. The Book of Revelation also describes a false prophet. This false prophet speaks on behalf of the Antichrist and Satan.
Antichrist ~ a powerful ruler who imitates and opposes Christ. The Book of Revelation also describes the Antichrist as ‘the beast’. The Antichrist hates Christ. The Bible also refers to many antichrists. These are people who hate Christ like the Antichrist.
Satan ~ the name of the devil.
beast ~ an animal. In this Book of Revelation, the beasts describe Satan, Antichrist and the false prophet.
temple ~ a special building for the worship of God. The Jews had a temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the real God. But at other temples, people worshipped false gods.
worship ~ the act when someone shows honour to God (or to an idol). Someone who worships, praises God. That person thanks God. And that person respects God.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the families of their children.
idols ~ objects that people worship instead of God.
altar ~ the special table where priests burned animals and other gifts that they offered to God.
grape ~ fruit of a vine (a climbing plant). You can make it into wine.